A colony for 50 years, federated , Unified to Ethiopia , in 1991's seceded after three decades of rebellion. Since 1998 Eritrea is at War, harboring proxy warriors especially the notorious Al- Shabab. Torture ,imprisonment , thousands fleeing, no religious freedom , the only university is closed, everybody is in the army, No Parliament, No election, No functioning institution, No free press & all living journalists are in prison. Eritrea is called the North Korea of Africa.

Friday, February 13, 2015

(Bloomberg) -- Ethiopia and Djibouti accused Eritrea of sabotaging regional stability, a charge denied by the Horn of Africa nation which has fought with both neighbors.

Eritrea’s government has a “continuous destabilization policy” and the international community should tighten sanctions, the leaders of Ethiopia and Djibouti said in a statement following a Feb. 2-Feb. 9 meeting of the two nations. They didn’t give further details on the accusations. The United Nations in 2009 imposed sanctions on Eritrea after allegations it supported insurgents in Somalia.

Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry said it was “appalled” by an “unwarranted and calumnious act of hostility.” Ethiopia’s “continued occupation of sovereign Eritrea territories” is “the singular and central cause of regional destabilization,” it said in a Thursday statement. There is “increasing awareness in the international community” that the UN sanctions are unjustified, the ministry said, without giving any details.

The UN Security Council in December 2009 voted to ban the travel and freeze the assets of selected Eritrean government and army leaders accused of being allied with al-Qaeda-linked militants attempting to topple the government in Somalia. The measure imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea and authorized inspection of cargo going to or from the country on the Red Sea.

Eritrea, which gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after three decades of conflict, fought again with its southern neighbor in 1998-2000. That war left an estimated 70,000 people dead and Ethiopia in control of Badme, the disputed territory that triggered the conflict. A UN boundary commission ruled in 2002 that Badme belonged to Eritrea.

February 12, 2015 (Asmara) – Eritrea said on Thursday that it is dismayed by a Joint Communiqué issued by Ethiopia and Djibouti on 09 February 2015 considering it as an act of hostility.

Ethiopia and Djibouti have both accused Eritrea of destabilizing the region and called on the international community to tighten the current sanctions imposed on the country.

Eritrea on the other hand, responded on Thursday that Ethiopia’s continues occupation of sovereign Eritrean territories represents the single and central cause of instability in the Horn of Africa region.

According to Eritrea, Ethiopia occupies sovereign Eritrean territories breaching international law and the fundamental African Union principles of the sanctity of colonial borders almost 13 years after the final and binding arbitral award of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.

In 2003 the international Boundary Commission set up under the Algiers agreement that ended the fighting has ruled that the town of Badme – the original flashpoint of a war and conflict with Ethiopia – is on Eritrean territory.

Eritrea also said that Djibouti’s part in the Joint Communiqué is difficult to comprehend given that its border dispute with Eritrea has been entrusted to Qatar as a third party mediator.

The increasing awareness that the current sanction regime against Eritrea is unjustified paired with dwindling support from the International Community to extend the sanctions, prompted Ethiopia to call for more tightened sanctions, Eritrea said.

Monday, February 9, 2015

An Eritrean delegation called upon the African Union (AU) to push for the delimitation of the boarder between Eritrea and Ethiopia at the 24th summit of the organization held in Addis Ababa from the 23rd through 31st of January, according to Radio Erena.

The delegation, which was led by Eritrea’s permanent AU representative in Addis Ababa – Ambassador Araya Desta appeals for a full implementation of the decisions passed by the Eritrean and Ethiopian Border Commission and that the organization has to pressure Ethiopia to pull its troops from what has been declared as Eritrea’s sovereign territory.

In a special meeting dedicated for the Eritrean and Ethiopian case that was held at the end of the submit, Ethiopia responded through its representative – the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs – Ambassador Berhane Gebrekristos saying that his country and Eritrea have to go back to the negotiating table for talks before the delimitation process, confirmed the Ethiopian newspaper of ‘The Reporter’.

Ambassador Gebrekristos also affirmed that his Prime Minister – Halemariam Desalegn is willing to travel to Asmara and talk with his Eritrean counterpart regarding the issue. He added that Eritrea is not ready for negotiations and is disturbing the peace in the region, on the contrary.

Ambassador Gebrekristos further cited AU’s reluctant stance on Eritrea and the two sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council as indications of Eritrea’s noncompliance.

AU’s current revolving chairman – Zimbabwe’s 90-year-old President, Robert Mugabe heard the deliberations by the two countries and pleaded with them to avoid foreign intervention in dealing with their conflict.

Eritrea has been accused of destabilizing peace and security in the region.

"Eritrea is destabilizing peace and security in the countries of the region, including Djibouti," Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh told a joint press conference with visiting Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

"We agreed that the sanction will remain in effect on Eritrea," he said.

For his part, Desalegn, who arrived in Djibouti earlier Saturday on a visit for the Horn of African nation, said the two countries will stand together to defend their borders.

"Ethiopia is ready to defend and safeguard Ethio-Djibouti common borders," he said. "Our security officials will discuss on this issue and map out common stand."

Tension has been high between Eritrea and both Djibouti and Ethiopia over their border conflicts.

Djibouti and Eritrea have engaged in two border conflicts in recent years.

Ethiopia and Eritrea, meanwhile, fought a two-year war over a border triangle in 1998.

"The International community is losing hope that there is no behavioral change on part of Eritrea, we ask the international community to take proportional measures against Eritrea," Desalegn said.

Asked by The Anadolu Agency where the truth lies with accusations between the two countries, the Ethiopian Premier said that "this is documented by the UN Security Council Team of Investigations, which has proved the destructive role of the Eritrean government and imposed sanctions on Eritrea."

-Regional conflicts-

The two leaders have reiterated cooperation to resolve regional conflicts, particularly in Somalia and South Sudan.

"We work closely to prevent regional challenges as we are in a volatile region in which ensuring peace and security is a challenge," Desalegn said.

"We have achieved promising peace and stability to our Somali brothers and sisters under the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) as part of our efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region," he added.

"The complicated situation in South Sudan demands much of our time and resource. I must thank the government of Djibouti for the very important role to bring about peace and stability for Somalia and South Sudan," he said.

"We continue to support Somalia and South Sudan in their efforts to restore peace and stability. We do not lose hope whatever happens in our region."

The Djiboutian president, for his part, said that his country would continue its role in the fight against the Somali Al-Shabaab militant group.

"Djibouti will continue its involvement in Somalia and continue the fight against Al-Shabaab in collaboration with Ethiopia. Djibouti also provides support to [African peacekeeping mission] AMISOM," he said.

"We hope that the warring parties in South Sudan will reach agreement," he added.

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About Me

Prof. Muse Tegegne has lectured sociology Change & Liberation in Europe, Africa and Americas. He has obtained Doctorat es Science from the University of Geneva. A PhD in Developmental Studies & ND in Natural Therapies. He wrote on the problematic of the Horn of Africa extensively. He Speaks Amharic, Tigergna, Hebrew, English, French. He has a good comprehension of Arabic, Spanish and Italian.